Remnant fork fencing across Sheep Station Creek
Sweeping views from the slabs below SH1727
Saturday-Sunday 30-31 August: Southern Namadgi Mountain Biking (A-Z Namadgi) L/M-R.
Day 1: Mountain bike riding from the Old Boboyan Rd (South) car park to Lone Pine Homestead site, dropping overnight gear at Lutons after around 8km and continuing with day packs. Lone Pine is the start of a multi-leg geocache of at least 37km, all on track. We’ll ride as much as we can and finally join Rob and Jenny’s Navigation refresher #4/Weekends in the southern Namadgi #6 camp site at Lutons Crutching Shed. Around 37km.
Day 2: Join the party walking to Sentry Box for two geocaches on the way. Ride out. Around 15km, maybe more. Map: Yaouk. Leader: John Evans 0417 436 877 john@johnevans.id.au . Transport: $50 per car. Emergency contact details must be registered/provided to book. Late bookings considered.
Just me on Saturday, drove to the Old Boboyan Road (South) car park. Met 10 on the CBC Navigation Refresher trip Saturday afternoon.
Summary
Distance: 51.6km | Climb: 1490m | Time: 2 days | Grading: L/R; H(13-)
Track Maps
Track overview
Track 1
Track 2
Track 3
Track 4
Track 5
Photographs
Photographs are available, where you can start a large sized slide show.
Google Earth
Download the Google Earth .kmz file here.
Track Notes
Day 1
Left home at 6am and was riding just after 7am. Quite manageable with overnight pack on my back (I have no panniers). 36mins for the 6.4km to Lutons Crutching Shed. I set up my tent and changed my required gear into a day pack.
Away again at 8.05am. Rode back to the junction of Sams Creek and Grassy Creek FTs and turned SW. Dropped my bike and walked a couple of tens of metres to Alexander Brayshaws 1879 hut site. The fruit tree died a few years ago, but the hut outline is still clearly visible.
Pedaled on along Grassy Creek FT with the wild dogs howling. Came to Lone Pine Homestead site and first nipped across to check that the Baby Crawford plaque had been glued back up.
Over at the Homestead site I discovered another pile of granite blocks I’d not seen before (one of the stone dog kennels) and took a photograph of the huge fallen pine. Was this the tree that the homestead was named after?
Then a frustrating 40mins searching for WP1 of GC1DZYD A-Z Namadgi Tours. No joy and much angst. That ruined the rest of my day! Now it’s very probable that I’m old and stupid and less likely that the WP has been slightly changed (which still makes me stupid for not using the latest data). I was looking for the WP at a Stump at S 35° 50.197′ E 148° 56.137′, whereas I should have been looking for a Rocks at S 35° 50.191′ E 148° 56.130′. The difference is 15.3 metres! I have a query in with the cache owner.
Post Script: Yes, option 1 is correct. As little time ago as 27 July, the cache owner advised me to take the latest listings. Doh!
I rode away in disgust, but soon calmed down, as it was a beautiful day. I decided to head for Wrights Hill, the only other cache in the area that I had with me.
A pleasant pedal down the Grassy Creek FT, turning the corner and continuing along the new Grassy Creek FT which follows near the border. I called in at the 112 Mile marker – rotting away. I do hope the ‘Mouat Tree’ project gets up. Also visited the drop log border fencing where it touches the fire trail.
By 10.45am I was at the top of the gully that drops down to Westermans and near to Wrights Hill. I dropped the bike up off the FT and walked 500m SE to Wrights Hill (a very easy approach this way), where I gained some satisfaction in logging GC409N9 Wright’s Wonder. I took one of Doppelfrogg’s 40th pathtags – don’t know the etiquette here as I had nothing to leave – and that made me feel better.
Back to the bike and a quick bite of morning tea.
Then down via the Westerman graves to Westermans Homestead. A poke around there.
Next on to Waterhole Hut, Waterhole Hut Horse Holding Yard and Waterhole Stockyards.
Then north along Waterhole FT to the junction with Bulls Flat FT and, a bit further on at the Stockyards, I wheeled my trusty steed down the hill a bit and had some lunch.
Back on the FT, a flat pedal back to the junction with Sams Creek FT. Here I saw a party heading north up the Old Boboyan Road, so rode down through the ford of Grassy Creek to say hello. A group of scouts heading for Hospital Creek Hut. Back over the ford and so to Lutons, where I tied my ride inside the shed.
1.30pm – what to do? A stroll down to the nearby Crawfords Homestead site, then back up to the camp site. I made myself useful and collected a bonfire’s worth of firewood, then got my sleeping mat out in the sun and had a doze.
Around 3.15pm I thought I’d go to meet the Navigation Refresher party, so wandered around to Sheep Station Creek. The light seemed good, so I squelched out to the remnant fork fencing to take a couple of pics. Just as I was heading up to the fire trail, I got a ‘day-o’ from the other side of the creek, so turned back to find a nice narrow crossing and returned to camp.
A nice evening for tea and a chat around the camp fire, quite mild.
Day 2
A mild-ish night, a bit of frost when Rob called us out at 6.30am. Up for old man’s needs, then back to bed for breakfast.
We left at 7.30am and headed up on the Navigation Refresher bounds. Rob and Jenny have been teaching and encouraging CBC members via this trip for 13 years. I first did it in 2004.
A lovely day – cool at first, so beanie and gloves, we warmed up on the climb so shed layers, cool in the breeze near the top, a lovely mild trip back down. Up over SH1282, down to the saddle and up to SH1319, where muggle Johnathan and I logged GC2PCR1 A Balanced Cache.
Another 200m climb to SH1577. Morning tea #1 here. The last leg took us up onto the granite slabs, with marvelous views. We reached the cairn below SH1727 at 11.10am.
Whilst the others had a look about, I again frustrated myself by searching for GC1GP38 Cache of the Sentry for 20mins with no joy. I crawled and poked and circled and fumed. A couple of little patches of snow in the protected areas between boulders. Looks like I’ll have to come back again next year.
We reversed down, again appreciating the fabulous views as we descended the granite.
Down towards the bottom, at the saddle between the first/last two spot heights, we took a left turn down the gully and came out onto Sams Creek FT. Back at camp at 2.50pm.
Packed up, lunch. A little presentation to successful navigators of their corroboree frog pins. Huge shout out to Rob and Jenny who have been running this Navigation Refresher Course for over 12 years.
I cycled back to the cars – and drove straight home.
As always, a great trip. Beautiful weather. Frustrating caching.
Party
11 walkers – Tony B, Rob and Jenny H (leaders), Jonathan M, Noz and Jill M, Darren R, Jenny S, Sean S, Lorraine T, me.